Your wedding venue is secured and you are full of excitement but there is one very important thing you need to do next, if not the most important thing you need to do once your big day is secured.

Giving Notice

For all marriages and civil partnerships, you must give notice of your intention to marry or form a Civil Partnership within one year before the date of your wedding. You must give notice at the Register Office within the Borough that you live and you must have lived in the Borough for 8 consecutive days. It is necessary for each party for the Marriage of Civil Partnership to do this, therefore if you live in separate Boroughs you will need to attend separate Register Offices. You cannot however, book a Notice appointment unless you have confirmed a venue as you need to state your venue on your Notice.

Documents you'll need to give notice

You must bring originals of the following documents to your appointment:

• details of the final venue for your ceremony
• a valid passport (or UK birth certificate if you were born before 1 January 1983)
• proof of your home address
• proof of any name changes (for example, a copy of a deed poll)

To prove your address, bring one of the following:

• valid UK or Irish driving licence
• gas, water or electricity bill from the last 3 months
• bank or building society statement from the last month
• Council Tax bill from the last 12 months
• mortgage statement from the last 12 months
• current tenancy agreement
• letter from your landlord (dated within the last 7 days) confirming you live there and including your landlord’s name, address and their signature

If your normal address is outside the UK, you’ll need to give details of a UK contact address. For example, this could be your partner, friend or family member’s address.

source: Giving notice

Booking your registrar

Once you have given notice you can then book the registrars to attend the ceremony in the borough where the venue is located. For Tudor Barn this will be Royal Borough of Greenwich. To book an appointment please email registrar@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or call your local Register Office.

How long does our notice of marriage last?

Your notice of marriage lasts for 12 months from the date notice has been given. If you and your partner are giving notice on separate days the 12 months will start on the day the second person gives notice.

If your wedding does not take place within these 12 months, you will need to give notice and pay the fees again.

Now, it may not be the most exciting part of the wedding plans but it is one of the most important things to add to your checklist before you get carried away with table décor, flowers, food and drinks... don't forget to give notice and book your registrars!